


Beyond Her Expectations

by moomoocentralfest, wheenie



Series: Girl Crush Fest Round 1 (2018) [7]
Category: Mamamoo
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Friends to Lovers, moonsun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 06:11:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15164369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moomoocentralfest/pseuds/moomoocentralfest, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheenie/pseuds/wheenie
Summary: Meeting a vending machine-fisting weirdo in the dorm common room is one of the best things, maybe even best thing that ever happened to Yongsun.





	Beyond Her Expectations

Yongsun had done plentiful of regrettable actions in her life that made her hate herself the next day, like eating nuclear-spicy ramen, hiking under the blistering sun in august, drinking more than one shot of soju an hour.

But nothing could make her hate herself more than right now: cramming for midterms just a day before her first exam.

She should had followed what those A+ honour roll students said in that study tip video she watched two weeks ago.

Study two weeks before the exam.

But no studying happened that day. She shut out the nagging voice in her head as her finger tapped on the next most interesting recommended video (which was actually the only thing she did for the rest of the day).

Had she only been more studious like she promised herself at the beginning of the semester, she wouldn't be in this kind of dreadful situation (again). But here she was, alone in her dorm to drown in the endless stacks of notes she needed to review.

She figured her studying session would have gone smoother and more interesting if only her roommate could be here with her for mental support, but the goddess of luck was on the pup's side this semester.

_“I don't have any midterms this sem, unnie._ _” The dimpled girl smiled a bit too sweetly._ _“Good luck though. Hwaiting!_ _” was all the girl said before she headed out to go overnight karaoke with her also-midterm-less best friend. The harsh reality hit her like the door slammed shut on her face and reminded her constantly like the empty silence ringing in her ears._

“I can do this.” With a firm grip on her trusty Muji pen, she started writing on her notebook.

\--

Her study session was all fine at first, really, when she began at midnight after a healthy light dinner of two granola bars. She was motivated, pumped, and determined. She was well on her road to a 4.0 GPA. Heck, she might even dare say a 4.5. But three hours in, fatigue was looming and her will was draining. The thought of 'closing her eyes for a few seconds on the bed' was becoming alarmingly attractive and she was becoming too accepting of getting a mere passing 2.5 GPA. There was only one solution.

It was time for a break. A snack break. Another granola bar would surely lift up her spirits.

Shutting her laptop close, she – gladly – left the uncomfortably suffocating and silent room. With her arms stretched up high and her body twisting left right, she sauntered her way to the common room where all the self-formed study groups and vending machines congregated.

\--

In her three years of living in the same dorm, she had never seen the common room empty. At eight in the morning, a group of people would have already arrived to have breakfast before their eight-thirty class. Even during the wee hours of the night, the area would still be hustling and bustling like a night market. With the variety of foods and drinks scattered on the tables and counters, it might as well be one. But strangely enough, it was rather vacant at the moment. Maybe the whole dorm had been blessed by the goddess of luck just like Wheein and her best friend, so they were all out having fun.

Everyone but her.

The common room was also infamous for strange incidents that had occurred. From people sleeping in legit sleeping bags on the floor to people having karaoke sessions, she had seen it all. A person could be powerlifting and she would continue to fill up her bottle with water.

But even for a seasoned dorm tenant like her, the sight in front of her was enough for her to blink twice.

She wondered what her previous two granola bars were laced with because right now she was sure she was hallucinating a girl fisting a vending machine with the whole length of her arm while the other mercilessly punched it.

As if the goddess of luck hadn't cursed her enough, she just had to be stuck alone with a weirdo in the common room.

"Uh… hey, how you doing?" called out the girl.

Yongsun prayed the girl wasn't calling for her. Looking at this eccentric individual with a tough love relationship with the vending machine, 'stranger danger' couldn't be more appropriate to describe the situation.

It was three in the morning, they were both alone, and Yongsun had an exam tomorrow. She had absolutely no time for this shenanigan, so she started backing up slowly. Maybe the girl wouldn't notice.

"W-wait, don't leave, please!"

Unfortunately, the girl noticed.

"Could you help me out? My arm's been stuck in the machine for a while now and I'm starting to lose feeling on it," the stranger pleaded, ceasing any of Yongsun's plans to escape back to safety in her room.

She paused. Taking a good look at the stranger, dangerous probably wasn't the most accurate adjective to describe her. About the same height, loose all-black outfit, bright orange hair in a bun, hamster-like face. She looked somewhat familiar but she couldn't put a finger on it. All in all, the girl looked normal enough. Hopefully.

"Okay, hold on," Yongsun said.

"The vending machine is holding on, alright," the stranger joked.

She couldn't help but chuckle at that. Maybe she didn't have to be so wary of the girl.

Yongsun rolled up her sleeves and tied up her long blonde hair to a ponytail in a haste. She also made sure to stretch her neck as well as her arms. Pulling someone stuck was going to take some brute force so she wanted to make sure she wasn't going to pull a muscle and risk ruining her study session. Or worse: end up in the hospital and miss her midterms.

"I'm going to pull on the count of three. You use your leg to try and push yourself out, okay?" She tightened her grip on the girl's free arm. "One, two, three!" She pulled as hard as she could while the girl pushed her leg against the machine.

Pull after pull, the girl's hand slipped out of the machine inch by inch until it finally popped out after a strong tug, sending both of them sprawled on the ground. The girl was lying face down with her liberated arm in the air while Yongsun was on the ground like a starfish.

Realizing the situation, they looked at each other and laughed out loud. Yongsun's dolphin laugh reverberating throughout the area and the girl's nose muscles in overdrive, making the girl resemble the common house pet even more.

They got up and shook off any dirt on their clothes before facing each other. 

"I'm Moon Byulyi," the girl introduced herself.

"I'm Kim Yongsun."

A short awkward pause, one trying to find the right words to thank the other properly while the other still amazed to see the girl with all her limbs visible.

"This has been an unusual situation," Yongsun started.

"I guess there's a first time for everything." Byulyi smiled to conceal her embarrassment.

"Then this is the first time I worked so hard to buy a granola bar."

"After all that, let me buy you one! Or whatever you want in this vending machine," Byulyi eagerly offered as she grabbed for her wallet.

"Oh, no, it's okay-"

But the girl already placed a large bill into the machine. “Which one do you want?”

Normally, Yongsun would still be adamant on rejecting the generous offer, but her stomach had been performing its own beneficiary concert in the last hour. Who was she to deny free food, especially when she got to choose what she wanted?

Her cheeks tugged upwards to a sheepish smile while a timid finger pointed at the famous red cup noodles. "Ramen would be nice."

Byulyi made an okay-sign and pressed the buttons. "Nice, I was going to choose that too."

When the noodles dropped, Yongsun quickly halted Byulyi from retrieving the food. "I think it would be wiser if I did it."

"Right." Byulyi stepped aside with a flustered smile.

After getting their own cup of noodles, they walked to the eating area together. As they prepped their noodles, the million-dollar question spilled out of Yongsun's mouth like a dog let loose on a vast green field.

"Why was your arm even stuck in the machine?"

Byulyi hesitated for a second. "I… um… let's just say midterms are getting to me and my brain wasn't functioning when I made that mistake."

"I feel you." Yongsun smiled in reassurance. "I'm actually cramming for an exam tomorrow right now so my brain is also barely functioning."

With just a mention of the E word, the stress and fatigue instantly washed over her like a ten-meter tsunami. After the whole ordeal, she now had even less time to study all her materials. Suddenly, ending up in the hospital didn't seem that bad.

"Hey, me too. For what subject?"

"Introduction to Asian Pop Culture. The elective."

Byulyi raised an eyebrow. "Wait, really? I got that exam too!"

A lightbulb lit up above Yongsun's head. No wonder she felt like she had seen the girl's face before; they were in the same class and passed each other a few times when entering the classroom.

"Are you from the Monday class?" she asked to confirm her suspicions.

"Yeah!"

Yongsun covered her mouth in shock. "Wow, what a coincidence. Same elective and even same dorm hall."

They removed the lid on their cup noodles and started mixing the noodles.

"You know," Byulyi started, eyes glued down to her noodles, "two non-functioning brains might work better together so if you want, we can study together." She looked up for a second but quickly averted them back to her noodles.

At this point of her study session, Yongsun knew she wouldn't last unless she had someone to go through it with her. She couldn’t be happier to have a study partner to give her the mental support she needed and to help her with her studies.

In a heartbeat, she said yes.

 

 

Maybe it wasn't the smartest choice to accept the girl's offer of studying together.

Not that Byulyi was bad company. The problem was that she was too wonderful of a company. Thirty minutes since they started their study session, they had barely even gone through half a chapter of notes, but they already knew each other's major, dorm room number, hometown, high school name, and even their pets' name.

Just when they were beginning to get serious, one casual remark about late night food cravings from Yongsun dissolved any studious motivation.

“I want to eat ddeokbeokkie so bad right now,” Yongsun grumbled.

“I want to eat chips so bad right now,” Byulyi replied back in the same tone.

All they had to do was stare at each other in the eyes and the message was already telepathically delivered to each other.

“Snack break,” they said simultaneously.

Not even bothering to tidy up their things – as if anyone would steal notes – they left the common room to go to the nearby convenience store for a snack raid.

When their craving was satiated, instead of reviewing the rest of the notes, they started a game of twenty questions. And turned out, they had a lot of similarities. From food to TV shows to life experiences, they just clicked so well that the topics and questions were endless.

They still managed to get some studying done because Yongsun realized it was already four in the morning and declared that they had deviated long enough from their original objective. They concluded their study session at 5:30 so that they could get a few hours of sleep and wouldn’t look so much like lifeless zombies when they enter the exam room.

Yongsun was walking to her room while Byulyi was by the stairs to go to her room on the upper floor. Yongsun had only turned the door knob when Byulyi spoke up.

“Good luck on your exam.”

“You need it too, you know.”

“I don't need luck because I got this.” Byulyi pointed at her head with a proud grin.

Yongsun raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Says the person who got her arm stuck in a vending machine because she wanted to prove if she could outsmart technology and manually grab a snack."

Byulyi copied her pose. “I did it in the name of science.”

“You did it because your logic was on vacation.”

Byulyi sighed exaggeratedly. "I treat you ramen and give you a free tutorial session, yet this is how you repay me."

Amidst their bickering, that was when it hit Yongsun like lightning. She had never met anyone she could throw playful jabs at; she had never met someone she could connect with so easily and talk to so comfortably; she had never met anyone like Byulyi.

Yongsun walked towards Byulyi with her hand in her pocket. She wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass by even if her GPA was on the line.

She stood in front of Byulyi, who looked much like her confused pet corgi she imitated during their snack break, then fished out her phone from her pocket. “If you give me your number, I can think of a proper way to repay you back in the future."

Yongsun held her breath until she felt the phone slip out of her hands. Yongsun couldn’t help but feel relieved when she saw Byulyi key in her number.

"It’s quite hot lately, so I’m in the mood for some shaved ice." Byulyi looked at Yongsun knowingly.

Yongsun laughed. At least now she wouldn’t have any trouble thinking of a way to repay Byulyi back. "I like shaved ice too.”

Byulyi handed back Yongsun’s phone. "See you tomorrow in the exam."

"You too. Bye."

Yongsun had finished washing up and settled down in her bed when she felt a vibration by her pillow.

“Goodnight and good luck. You definitely need it more than me,” Byulyi messaged.

“Goodnight to you, too. Remember to bring your brain tomorrow,” she retorted back.

After a few minutes, an eye-rolling emoji was all the girl sent back. Yongsun smirked, satisfied that she got the last word.

Yongsun wasn't sure what exactly she was feeling, but all she knew was that she was over the moon, so over the moon that she only got two hours of sleep.  


 

Ever since they shared that giant serving of shaved ice after their midterm, they found themselves messaging each other and meeting up more. Yongsun would always say it was so that they could study together for the subject – which wasn't completely false since it turned out that their teacher Mr Choi was a test freak who gave out tests almost every week.

Also, having different majors with conflicting schedules and going to different buildings that are light years apart, they couldn't meet up as much as they wanted, so this weekly tutorial was the only way to see each other. Byulyi once called Yongsun studious for making the weekly study session, but deep down, Yongsun just wanted to spend more time with Byulyi.

Never had she met someone whom she could just be herself with. With others, she always had to put up a front where she was a prim and proper Kim Yongsun. Even with her dear friend Wheein, she had some reservations at first. But Byulyi just had this easy-going aura that allowed Yongsun to let down her guard.

She could laugh out loud like a dolphin, eat ddeokbeokkie and not worry about smearing her face with some sauce, be a total goofball by acting out commercials and singing children songs. She could do all these dumb, embarrassing things and Byulyi wouldn't even hesitate for a second to be Yongsun's personal hype man.

So every week, Yongsun would ask Byulyi to hang out after classes in the name of 'studying' and 'better grades'. Much to Yongsun's glee, not once did Byulyi say no.

This week, they had another test so another study session it was for them. Once Yongsun finished her class, she quickly headed back to her dorm to drop off her heavier things. And Yongsun wasted no time mucking about because she was already by the door in a flash. She couldn't deny she was quite excited to see Byulyi.

"I'm heading out," Yongsun called out, so her roommate would be notified.

Wheein, who was lounging on her bed scrolling through her feed, was now sitting upright with her phone tossed to the side like an empty juice box. "With that Byulyi again?"

Hearing the rustling noises and Wheein's strangely interrogating tone, Yongsun closed the door back and turned around to face her roommate. "She's older than you, you know?"

"With that Byulyi unnie again?" Wheein rephrased her sentence, but the sharp interrogating tone remained.

"So?"

"Nothing, nothing. It's just you guys have been hanging out a lot lately."

Yongsun stood in front of Wheein and squeezed her cheeks together, turning the pup into a goldfish. "Aww, are you jealous? You can hang out with us if you want," Yongsun said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Wheein removed the hands from her cheeks with a grimace. "And be a third wheel to your date? I'd rather eat a cactus whole before I do that."

Yongsun felt like all the blood simultaneously drained out of her face and rushed back in. "W-what do you mean? It's not a date! It's a-"

Wheein quickly cut off the rambling mess coming out of Yongsun's mouth, already knowing the diplomatic excuse her unnie would always tell her. "Yeah, study session, but every week? Really?"

Yongsun crossed her arms defensively. "We have tests every week."

"I've seen some questions from those tests and they're just simple revision. It's even in multiple choice. I don't think you're that hopeless to need a study partner to help you with it." Wheein deadpanned.

"I just like studying with her." Yongsun shrugged.

Wheein made a buzzer noise like Yongsun just gave the wrong answer. "You like being with her."

Yongsun already knew that in her heart, but to hear the truth from someone else was enough to paint her cheeks a little redder and drive her heart to beat a little faster.

"Okay, so I like being with her. If you hang out with her, you'd know that she's a great friend." Yongsun might have sounded nonchalant, but with her puffy cheeks tinted red, she looked anything but.

Wheein grinned like the Grinch and Yongsun was not liking that smile one bit. "Maybe even a great girlfriend."

If there was a live broadcast of Yongsun's brain at the moment, then it would show nothing but TV static. As if Yongsun had gone into auto-pilot mode, she grabbed her bag and opened the door. "I am late so I am leaving now."

"Wait!" Wheein called, to which Yongsun begrudgingly responded to. "You know what? Maybe I do want to go hang out with you two. I'd love to meet your girlfriend." And the stupid Grinch smile returned.

Yongsun turned around before Wheein could see the new wave of flush on her cheeks. "I am leaving now!" With that and a slam of the door, Yongsun left to meet her good, platonic friend Moon Byulyi. 

 

 

Yongsun rushed to the café they always met up at, and like usual, Byul was already sitting there waiting, so Yongsun quickened her pace.

Once Yongsun apologized for being late, which Byulyi didn't mind, Yongsun held up her hand to order, only to have it pulled back down by Byulyi. 

“I already helped you order. Latte, and a blueberry muffin on the side but served later, right?” Byulyi listed out Yongsun's usual order perfectly.

With Byulyi’s hand around hers, her brain was functioning as good as fish on land. Yongsun could only nod to answer Byulyi’s question.

The moment Byulyi let go of her hand, Wheein’s voice echoed inside her head.

_Maybe even a great girlfriend._

\--

She loved her roommate a lot. Wheein was the first person she let down her guard to, and the first genuine friend she ever made since she entered university. But right now, Wheein was at the bottom of the list of her favourite people in the world, even lower than her second grade PE teacher who she was certain was the devil incarnate himself.

All thanks to the girlfriend nonsense Wheein was spouting, that was all Yongsun could think of now. It's like when someone tells you not to press the big red button, so all you can think of is pressing the big red button.

Byulyi as her girlfriend. What was Wheein even talking about?

Nothing but nonsense.

Yet why did the thought create a flutter in her stomach?

She felt a poke on her cheek, startling her in her seat. She looked at Byulyi with a confused face only to see Byulyi looking back at her with the same expression.

"Unnie, are you okay? You look so out of it ever since you sat down."

Yongsun waved her hand in dismissal. "I'm fine, just zoned out for a moment there."

"Are you sick? We can just take a rain check."

"No!” Yongsun shouted a bit too loudly, causing everyone’s eyes to be on her. She bowed her head slightly in embarrassment and hushed her voice back down. “I’m not sick. I actually really need help with this upcoming test.”

It was a pathetic excuse since Yongsun’s grades had never been better, but Byulyi didn’t have to know that. She would rather have the earth swallow her whole than admit out loud that she didn’t want her time with Byulyi to end so soon.

“Okay.” Byulyi looked like she had some questions but bought Yongsun’s excuse anyway. Yongsun let out a silent sigh of relief.

When their drinks arrived, they officially started their study session. They grabbed their respective laptop and opened the corresponding PowerPoint.

She tried really hard to focus on the words on the computer, but her eyes kept wandering beyond to the person sitting right in front of her.

_Maybe even a great girlfriend._

“You’re either under the spell of my oozing charm and attractive face, or you’re checking if you have laser vision.”

Yongsun snapped out of her trance once again. “Huh?”

“You’ve been staring at me for a while now, so which reason is it? Are you super attracted to me right -now, or are you trying to burn a hole in my face?” Byulyi placed her elbow on the table and rested her head on her palm, a sleazy smile on her face. “I bet it’s the first one.”

Yongsun scoffed as she lightly smacked Byul’s face away from her. “As if.”

As if she would ever admit it out loud.

“Then I’m so grateful you don’t actually have laser vision or my face would have been totally ruined. I need it to make a living, you know.” Luckily, Byulyi managed to dodge Yongsun’s hand this time. “But really, what’s on your mind? You’re more spaced out than the two bros chilling in a hot tub five feet apart because they're not gay.”

The words echoed again: _Maybe even a great girlfriend._

“Nothing, really.” Yongsun resumed her focus back to her computer, only to have Byulyi shut it close. 

Yongsun frowned. “What are you doing?"

“I just made a dumb pun with a vine reference, and you didn’t instantly say you hate it. You didn’t even say anything about it, so there must be something troubling you. If there’s something troubling you, then it means you can’t focus. If you can’t focus, then there’s no point in studying now, so... ” Byul paused to take a breather, "let’s ditch studying and do something else!”

“I was already going into focused mode till you shut my computer.”

“That’s a lie and you know it.”

Technically, it wasn't completely a lie. Yongsun was focusing, just not on the PowerPoint, and more on a certain orange-haired girl.

“What are we going to do anyway?”

“I don’t know. Just walk around while eating snacks, I guess.”

“But the test…”

“Oh, you nerd. We’ll study another day if you want, but right now, we’re de-stressing to get your mind off whatever’s bothering you.”

The problem giving a solution to get rid of itself. How ironic.

It would be a bad idea to go with Byulyi’s plan. She should be leaving and getting her mind off of her, not spending more time together. But seeing the girl already helping her pack her stuff, paying for the bill, and even asking the waiter to put the blueberry muffin in a paper lunch bag, it cleared the haze in Yongsun’s mind.

_Maybe even a great girlfriend._

Yongsun knew right at that moment it’d make no difference if she left right now or went with the girl because she had a crush on her friend Moon Byulyi.

 

 

Once they reached the street filled with food vendors, Yongsun wasted no time to look for the nearest ddeokbeokkie stall, even leaving Byulyi behind in search of her favourite snack. She received her serving of ddeokbeokkie when Byulyi finally found her.

“Can’t believe you would dump me all alone in this busy street for that snack. I’m hurt.”

“I’d trade you for an ice cream tub amount of ddeokbeokkie.”

“That’s cruel because I wouldn’t trade you for anything in the world.”

Yongsun was grateful she had already swallowed the rice cake before that remark because she was definitely caught off-guard and certainly would have choked. She pushed Byulyi by the shoulder. “God, who knew you were this greasy.”

“And who knew you were so cute when you’re flustered.” She knew Byulyi was a jokester that loved to poke fun at her, but corny comments like that? Yongsun could never have prepared for that.

Yongsun kept mum because she was too flustered to say anything. She walked further along the street while scanning for the next snack on her food hit list, pretending that her face wasn’t as hot and red as the ddeokbeokkie she just had.

Amused by the growing redness on Yongsun’s mochi cheeks and her unusual quietness, Byulyi couldn’t help but let out a short chuckle. Yongsun, unaware of Byulyi’s musings, continued seriously scanning every vendor for snacks to distract her from her racing heart.

“Chicken skewers,” Yongsun exclaimed, and once again was ready to abandon Byulyi wherever she was, but not on Byulyi’s watch.

Before she could run to the vendor, a tug on Yongsun’s hand stopped her right in her tracks. Byulyi holding her hand again stopped all of her brain's proper functioning.

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

With that, Byulyi led the way to the chicken skewer vendor, only letting go when they reached the stall.

Yongsun couldn't care less about the chicken skewers, not when Byulyi’s soft hand was around hers.

\--

Throughout the rest of the food trip, Yongsun didn’t know if it was pure bliss or downright torture. Byulyi was just the absolute sweetest that it only caused more conflict within her.

On one hand, Yongsun loved all the care and attention from the girl. Whenever they bought food, Byulyi would always blow on the food to cool it down before feeding Yongsun. Whenever they were by the road, Byulyi would always ensure Yongsun was standing on the inside. Whenever Yongsun needed anything, Byulyi would always return with the needed item.

But on the other hand, she didn't want to get too ahead of herself. Yongsun had never seriously dated anyone because she had never had any serious crushes to begin with. She went on a few dates back in high school and now in uni, but they never amounted into actual romantic relationships. With Byulyi, she was in too deep before even going on dates. If her feelings were one-sided, she wouldn’t know how to handle the awkwardness between them. It wasn’t like she could just vanish and cut off Byulyi. The girl was a great friend first and foremost after all.

Yongsun was facing a major conundrum.

\--

"So how was your date? Whoops, I mean, study session?" Wheein asked once Yongsun returned, the Grinch smile on her face again.

"We weren’t in a studying mood so we just walked around the food street to get some snacks."

Yongsun decided not to tell Wheein the truth for now. No way was she going to immediately confess to Wheein that the girl was right all along, inflating her ego and unleashing all kinds of teasing from her.

Wheein dropped her grin, her eyebrows scrunched up together like she was deeply contemplating something. "Wait, walking around? And getting snacks together? Your study session was a date!"

“No, it wasn’t!”

“Not officially, at least.”

Yongsun huffed. Wheein wasn’t going to stop with her antics, so might as well just tell her truth right then and there. “Okay, you know what? I admit it, Byulyi is amazing and she could actually be a great girlfriend. There, I said it."

And cue Wheein's grin that demanded a punch in the face. "You were so sure you guys were just friends. What did she do to change your mind? Was she all sweet and gentle like holding your hand?"

Yongsun opened the closet next to her to hang her jacket, but in all honesty, it was simply to hide the giddy smile on her face. “God, You’re so nosy.”

Wheein laughed as her head dipped backwards. Yongsun’s shyness and terrible tactic to avoid the question was just too hilarious.

Yongsun lay down on her bed with her back facing Wheein and the blanket over her head, trying to mute out Wheein’s laugh.

“I guess you like her a lot,” Wheein said once she finished laughing.

That she did.

 

 

Ever since the last study session, Yongsun couldn’t help but feel a difference in their relationship. It all started when Byulyi asked for her schedule and her usual activities during the week.

Yongsun didn’t think much of it until Byulyi asked Yongsun to hang out outside of study sessions for the first time. She was just lounging in her dorm when Byulyi messaged her, asking her if she was free. Byulyi wanted to go shopping for her younger sister’s birthday gift and needed Yongsun’s second opinion. With no hesitation, she said yes. Yongsun didn’t care much for the reason, she was simply glad that Byulyi wanted to spend time with her.

Aside from this, Byulyi, having mostly morning classes, started dropping by Yongsun’s building in between Yongsun’s classes to have lunch or afternoon tea together. If they couldn’t, Byulyi would come back when Yongsun finishes her class so that they could at least go back to the dorm together. Sometimes, Byulyi would even do both.

This happened more and more till it eventually became routine. Byulyi would be sitting on the bench near the car park, playing her games on her phone or taking pictures with her small camera. Then they would head to the canteen to have a quick meal together before walking Yongsun back to her building to continue her afternoon classes. Right at 5:30pm when she leaves her building, Byulyi would already be on the bench again, waiting for her to go back home together.

By the end of the first semester, they had become inseparable, and Yongsun had fallen so, so hard for Byulyi.

\--

Though they didn’t share the elective subject anymore – since it was only for one semester – the routine remained in the second semester. The fact that they now had similar schedules allowed them to meet up even more, solidifying their routine and friendship.

Friendship.

Oh, how much Yongsun wanted it to be a relationship.

These past three months with Byulyi had been so wonderful that it was getting increasingly harder to keep her emotions in check.

There were too many close calls where Yongsun almost blurted out her feelings: when Byulyi looks through her camera’s viewfinder, looking so gorgeously focused on the object or scenery she wanted to digitally immortalize; when Byulyi smiles that hamster smile of hers, blinding her even more than any moon or star could; when Byulyi casually lays her hand on parts of her body, keeping her close even if they were only a few inches apart. Whenever she was Byulyi, she felt like a walking time bomb ready to explode.

It didn’t help that Byulyi was a total flirt, always showering her with cheesy compliments and heart fluttering words. She would always verbally reject them but there was no denying the blush on her face, which Byulyi would always point out then smile endearingly at her.

The jar was close to spilling until one night, it finally overflowed.

\--

It was seven in the evening on a Saturday night. Most people would be out having fun, but Byulyi was still in the 24/7 computer room of the Creative Media building.

Technically, it was Byulyi and her classmates there since they had an assignment to submit early the next day. Byulyi had already messaged Yongsun beforehand telling her that they wouldn’t be able to have dinner or go home together. Yongsun could have been like most people, but instead, Yongsun arrived at the room with Byulyi’s usual order.

Byulyi looked surprised and a bit confused at first. She placed the food on the table and led Yongsun to the door.

“Thank you so much for the food. Now, you should go back to whatever you were doing. I’m going to be here for a while,” Byulyi said, trying to convince the girl to leave, but no way was Yongsun going to let Byulyi suffer alone, not after Byulyi being there for her so many times. It was long overdue for her to return the favour.

So Yongsun closed the door and held Byulyi’s hand, leading her back to her seat. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Hearing the familiar phrase, Byulyi recalled the memory of their first food trip. She grinned. “Are you using my own lines against me?”

Yongsun shrugged, acting like she had no idea what Byulyi was insinuating. She then took a seat next to Byul’s. “I am not leaving until you finish your work.”

“But how am I supposed to focus with such a pretty girl next to me?”

Yongsun rolled her eyes. With how much Byulyi said that to her, she had become totally immune to that phrase. “I’ll blindfold you then.”

“Ooh, kinky. But not practical since I do need my eyes to do my assignment. Maybe another time,” Byul said in a casual tone and perhaps a bit too loudly since there were some people side-eyeing them now.

“Yah!” Yongsun whisper-shouted and smacked Byulyi in the arm, to which Byulyi merely laughed at. Blood rushed to Yongsun’s face in lightning speed. “Focus or I’ll turn your computer off before you can even save!”

Instinctively, Byulyi’s fingers simultaneously pressed the control key and the letter s. “Okaaay, back to work!” Byulyi faced the computer and continued with her assignment. This time, with more determination and motivation to finish it.

\--

It had been four hours since then. Most people that were in the room had already finished their work, leaving Yongsun and Byulyi to be the only occupants left. They could have left earlier as well, if only they didn’t procrastinate so much. But Jesus sunbaenim would make a comeback before that could ever happen.

The room hustling with chatter and rapid clicking and tapping sounds was now silent, save for the soft whirring of the computers. No other people, no loud noise, just them two. They were in their own quiet world.

Yongsun was mindlessly scrolling through her phone when she heard a shutter sound. She turned to her left to see Byulyi with her small camera.

“Why did you take a picture of me?”

“Just taking pictures of things that make me happy.”

Maybe it was Byulyi’s simple yet heart-warming words or the small genuine smile on Byulyi’s face that her brain decided to let go of her fear and hand the reins over to her heart. With her heart in control, she blurted out the three words she had been keeping inside her for the past months.

“I like you.”

Byul perked up. “You what?”

Yongsun’s heart dropped as she bit her tongue, but it was no use. The words had already left her mouth, and there was nothing she could do but to repeat her confession.

“I like you.”

“Oh.”

Yongsun couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and slightly insulted. She had just confessed, and all the girl could say was ‘oh’? She crossed her arms. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Yongsun was taken aback when Byulyi pulled Yongsun’s chair closer till their knees were touching.

“It means I don’t have to stop myself from doing this anymore.”

Yongsun felt like all the air escaped out of her lungs when Byulyi wrapped her hand around Yongsun’s and brought it up to her lips to give it a kiss.

Even under the minimum lighting of a computer screen, Yongsun’s dark blush was not hard to see. From her cheeks to her ears and even her neck, she was flushed red.

“I like you too,” Byulyi continued.

It was like her heart had simultaneously stopped and started racing. She wanted to say something, but with a thousand thoughts rushing through her mind, she didn’t know where to begin.

“Have I told you how cute you look when you’re flustered?” Byulyi remarked, lightening the mood up.

Yongsun sensed Byulyi’s attempt to calm her down and she was more than grateful. “You have, and that was when I first found out how greasy you were,” Yongsun retorted back.

“And I’m never going to stop being greasy because I know you love it a lot.” Byulyi smiled sleazily, even winking exaggeratedly at Yongsun.

Yongsun couldn’t stop herself from squealing in the highest pitch she could muster. Good thing there was no one around.

“Why do I like you? I’m starting to regret my decision,” Yongsun said playfully while shaking her head in faux disappointment.

“No take-backsies. I’m already your girlfriend, and you can’t do anything about it,” Byulyi said smugly.

The butterflies in her stomach went rampant when she heard Byulyi say ‘your girlfriend’. This was real. Byulyi really liked her back.

“Okay, okay. I’m not taking any backsies. I’ll still be your girlfriend.” The last word was bit foreign to say, but nonetheless pleasant.

“So… what now?” Byulyi asked after their playful banter ended.

Yongsun could be overthinking, but it sounded like there was more to the simple question, as if Byulyi was commenting on their cluelessness to the possible directions of their newly budded relationship. But they could deal with those later on.

For now…

“How about you finish your assignment so that we can both go home?”

“Oh, right.”

\--

It was a semi-awkward walk back home, both wondering what to say to the other whilst sharing bashful fleeting glances at each other.

But at least they could finally hold each other’s hand without any doubt in their hearts.

 

 

[epilogue]

When Byulyi told Yongsun to go to the common room, she didn’t think much since that was where they always met up at whenever they wanted to go to class together. For this case, they were going to have dinner at that popular restaurant they reserved a month ago. Yongsun was beyond excited to go there, so she quickly headed to the common room.

But instead of seeing a Byulyi who was ready to go, she was greeted by a Byulyi who had her arm stuck in the cursed vending machine.

“Help me,” Byulyi called as she flailed her other arm for Yongsun.

“You better not be stuck there for real because if you are, I am leaving you right here right now to have dinner at the fancy place alone,” Yongsun threatened, arms crossed and eyes dark.

“Oh, w-wow, a miracle.” Byulyi laughed nervously as she removed her arm from the machine. She walked towards Yongsun with a pout and wrapped her arms around the girl’s waist. “Oh, come on. I was just kidding. Just wanted to remind you how we met six months ago.”

Yongsun felt her anger recede as Byulyi swayed her gently from side to side until a smile appeared on her face.

“I also wanted to remind you that if the food in the fancy place sucks, we can just come back here to have some good cup noodles afterwards.”

Yongsun laughed, tugging at Byulyi’s heart strings just as hard as the first time she heard the unique laugh.

Staring back into Byulyi’s deep warm eyes, she leaned in and gave Byulyi a short sweet kiss, which never failed to leave Byulyi breathless every time.

“I’d love that,” Yongsun whispered into Byulyi’s lips before pulling away.

Byulyi, still dazed with stars in her eyes, was stunned for a moment until she heard Yongsun’s giggle ring in her ears and the latter’s warm palm on her cheek. She smiled bashfully as she intertwined their fingers together. “Let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: this is my first time writing such a long fic so hope it's ok :)


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